Resilient vehicle-wheel.



N. T. SHARP.

RESILIENT VEHICLE WHEEL.

APELIOATION FILED .AUG.'27, 1913.

Patented Apr. '7, 1914.

'tiran anni* rare N NOAI-I THOMAS SHARP, OF LUDLOW, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOROF ONE-HALF TO ANDREW y HOUCK, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

RESILIENT VEHICLE-WHEEL.

Specification of `Letters Patent.

Application filed August 27, 1913.

Sera1No.786,84G.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, NOAH THOMAS SHARP, acitizen of the United States, and a resident of Ludlow, in the county ofKenton and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Resilient Vehicle-Wheels, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to vehicle wheels and its object is to take up jarand vibration due to unevenness in the path of travel of the vehicle bymeans of structure between the rim and hub of the wheel.

The especial object is to provide a device of this character in whichstrength and lightness are combined, and which will be simple, yeteffective in operation, and which will not `be torsionally yieldable.

My invention consists in the parts and in the details of constructionand arrangement of parts as will hereinafter be more fully described andclaimed.

In the drawing: Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of a wheelembodying my invention, the upper half being shown in elevation, and thelower half in section on a line corresponding to the line of'Fig. 2;Fig. 2 is a cross section taken radially of the wheel on a linecorresponding` to the line g/-g/ of Fig. 1, only 'half of the section ofthe wheel being shown; and Fig. 3 is a partial radial section on a linecorresponding to the line z-a of Fig. 1. i

As shown herein, the wheel comprises a tire l and rim 2, holding thetire, and a felly 3 inside the rim. However, it will be understood that,so far as my invention is concerned, the rim 2 and felly 3, and even thetire 1, substantially make up the rim of the l vulcanized, while thefelly 3,'as illustrated,

may be of wood. To 'this felly 3 are rigidly Asecured a series ofbrackets l which are thus substantially rigidly' attached to the rim ofthe wheel. Each bracket l has a transverse `pin 5, and, between each twoadjacent brackets 4 achord 6 is fixed by means of said pins 5. Each suchchord 6 is preferably tubular and has knuckles 7 and 8 to lie in thebrackets 4l and receive the transverse pins 5. The

knuckle 7, at one end of each chord 6, is

`means of the single pin 5. Each of these chords 6 has a smooth regionbetween its knuckles 7 and 8, and upon this region a T-shaped head 9slides longitudinally. Between this head 9 andthe knuckles 7 and S, atthe respective ends of the chord 6, are helical springs 10 surroundingthe chord 6 and compressed between the head1) and the knuckle 7 or 8, asthe case may be.

To keep out foreign matter likely to clog the mechanism, sleeves 1l areliXed on the knuckles 7 and 8 around the springs 10, and extend somedistance along the outside of the head 9 from the respective adjacentends of said head', in such a `manner that said head can slideinsidethese sleeves. To further guard against entrance of foreign matter, eachsleeve 11 may be provided with a stuthng cap 12, conning a suitablegasket 13 against 4thefree 'end of the sleeve, around "the 'outside ofthehead 9.

Fixed in the stem part of each T-shaped head 9 is a stem 141, whichpreferably is tubular as illustrated and threaded into said part of thehead 9, so thatit `is rigid therein `and extends at right angles to thechord 6, radially inwardly of the wheel.

wheel and shall be referred to in subsequent The `hub 1.5 of the wheelmaynb'eof any approved construction, and in any event receives a ring 16where the hub of an ordinary wheel usually receives the butt ends.

far enough to form ample guides foi the stems 111 to slide radiallyinwardly and outwardly of the wheel. Such sockets 18 may` be threadedinto the ring 16 as shown, so

Patented Apr.. 7, 1914.

are sockets 18 that extend radially outward that they are rigid withrespect to said ring. Between the inner end of the stem 14, inside eachsocket, and the bottom of such socket, which may be the bottom of therecess in which the socket is threaded, a helical spring 19 iscompressed. With the stem 14 tubular, it is desirable to have a suitabledisk or washer 20 interposed between the open end of said stem 14 andsaid spring 19 to form an ample bearing for this end of the spring.

To prevent the entrance of foreign matter inside the socket 18, whichmight clog and interfere with the working of the mechanism inside thesocket, the free outer end of the socket 18 .is provided with a stuffingVcap 21, confining a suitable gasket 22 against the end of the socketaround the stem 14.

To reinforce the springs 19 under eX- tremely heavy impulses, smallerauxiliary helical springs 28 may be provided, inside the springs 19 inthe sockets 18.

Fromthe foregoing description, and upon inspection of the drawing, itwill be seen that the hub and rim of the wheel are movable radially withrespect to each other in an innite number of different directions, dueto the combined yielding of the springs 10 on the chords 6 and theSprings 19 in the hub sockets 18. However, on account of the T-shapedheads 9 being rectilinearly guided on the chords 6, and with the stems14 similarly guided radially, it is impossible for the rim and hub tomove relatively circumferentially or torsionally of the wheel. Thus, nostress incident to the driving of the vehicle by force exerted outwardlyfrom the hub to the rim, as in a motor vehicle, or by force exertedinwardly from the rim to the hub, as in a vehicle tractionallypropelled, will be transmitted to the springs 10 or 19. On account ofthis, such springs will have only the duty of taking up the shocks dueto displacement of the rim and hub radially with respect to each other.This is especially important in the provision of resilient wheels formotor vehicles, where repeated and varying impulses must be transmittedfrom the hub to the rim during starting of the motor, during compulsionof the vehicle, and during the application of brakes. Where the springsof the resilient wheel are subject to these repeated stresses,crystallization of the spring material quickly takes place and thespring soon breaks.

My invention also involves only the use of compression helical springs,which are by far the most reliable. The breakage of one of the springsin my device will not be dangerous to the occupants of the vehicle,because the wheel will remain intact, and the only eii'ect noticeable toan occupant of the vehicle will be the increased roughness of riding,due to the lack of support at the point in the internal structure of thewheel where the spring is broken. This minimization of danger andinconvenience on breakage of any of the springs is largely due to theample bearings afforded between the various sliding parts of theinternal structure, making it practically impossible for one slidingpart to be disengaged from the other, even with the breakage of a numberof springs simultaneously.

As shown in the drawing, the wheel comprises eight of the chords 6, andother parts accordingly. I contemplate even an increase of the number ofchords and of parts accordingly, when the size of the wheel permits therequisite amount of relative movement between the different slidingparts in such number. An important concomitant of such ample number ofchords and other parts accordingly, is the practicability of joiningthe` ends of adjacent chords rigidly to each other and to the felly orrim of the wheel, as hereinbefore described, so that said chords make upa complete connected system of reinforcements for the wheel rim orfelly. By this means, each chord and the arc of the wheel rim which thechord traverses constitute a truss with the chord in tension to resistiiattening of the wheel rim from outward pressure, and alsc acting as abeam through its stem 14 pressingradially inward against the helicalspring 19 in the hub, this radial pressure being transmitted to the rimthrough the brackets 4 at the respective ends of each chord. By suchVconstruction it is possible to make the felly and rim comparativelylight and in some cases permitting the felly to be dispensed withentirely, joining the chords directly to the rim and allowing thiscontinuous system of chords to act instead of the felly as a support forthe rim. Not only are these outer parts of the wheel thus allowed to belighter, but the interior parts may also be comparatively light onaccount of the increased number of parts as described. It will be seenthat the practicability of thus having a comparatively large number ofchords, and other` parts accordingly, is largely due to the novelcombination and arrangement of these parts as described. Y

Having fully described my invention,

what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters `Iatent is:

In a resilient vehicle wheel, the combinamember at right angles to eachchord mov-l able therealong and guided thereon to maintain its angle tothe chord, a stem on each member extending into a respective socket onthe hub, springs resisting movement of the members along the chords inboth directions, each of said chords having heads at its ends againstwhich the springs bear to stances to said springs and to the surfacesresist the movement of said members along of the Chords Where saidmembers slide the chords, sleeves covering said springs thereon.

fixed on said heads and extending over re- NOAl-I THOMAS SHARP. 5speetive ends of the members, and stuffing Witnesses:

caps on said sleeves around said members ANDREW HoUoK,

preventing the entrance of foreign sub- CLARENCE PERDEW.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

